Wounded Soldiers

As Christians we like to say and we often do, we are soldiers in the army of the Lord.  In fact, there’s a song that not many churches, I’m sure, have not sung about it.   I’m a soldier in the army of the Lord.  I’m a sanctified soldier in the army.  Got my war clothes on, in the army of the Lord, got my war clothes on, in the army.  If I die, let me die, in the army of the Lord, etc.… fighting for my rights, blah, blah, blah. 

It’s a great song, don’t get me wrong.  It empowers you.  And it gives you strength and courage to know that you are in an army and you have some backup.  Brothers and sisters to help you in your fight.  To help you in your Christian walk. 

Lately though, I have been a witness to something quite contrary.  For myself and even a few others that I know who have fought the good fight of faith, dodging blow by blow, and yet remained victorious.  And then there was a major blow.  In our case, the death of loved ones.  In other cases, financial setbacks, job loss, health crisis, doctor reports.  Lots of things continued to hit.  And the struggle to maintain continued.  Things that have shaken them to their core, things that have made them stumble, but did not make them fall or in some cases, some did.   Blow by blow, hit by hit.  They’re wounded.  Down for the count.  And sadly they’ve been left alone.  Stranded in enemy territory.

I thought about what it is like on an actual battlefield and even looked to one of our military church members for answers.  When a fellow soldier has been wounded, what is the response?  They don’t leave them there.  They don’t leave them alone.  They go back and they pick them up, even if it means they might lose their own life.  They don’t even think about it.  He told me it was a dishonor to their country to leave them there.  How about that?  A real soldier knows that we are in this thing together.  If you die, we all die.  He says, you can count on me.  No matter what.  I got your back. 

That’s how it ought to be with us, not only as people, but as Christians.  After all, aren’t we soldiers in the army of the Lord.  Aren’t we all in this thing together?  Shouldn’t we have each other’s backs? 

If you see somebody hurting, can you really say it’s not your responsibility or you don’t have time to be depressed or you got your own issues going on?  Really?  Will you just continue to fight your own battle, while your brother lies wounded in the field?  Or will you risk your life, your happiness, or the comfort level you have, the space that you’re in, the things that you know, to go and pick him up?  Something we must all ask ourselves.  Are you your brother’s keeper or not?

If we are all soldiers in the army of the Lord, shouldn’t we all be fighting the same enemy or at the very least, make sure our own comrade doesn’t get lost in the battle?  For if he loses, you do too.  What about how it honors your Father?

And know this, today it may be him, but tomorrow you might be the one left in the battlefield wounded and the brother (or sister) you left stranded, won’t be there to pick YOU up.

I’m a soldier in the army of the Lord, for real.  And I got your back.  For if you lose, I do too. 

A servant of the Lord,

Sis. E

http://www.butgodisreal.com